Tomb Raider I-III Remastered faces boycott over ‘woke’ accusations
Smoothing out the classic Tomb Raider games was never going to be easy, and safe to say, the industry has come a long way from the days of Lara Croft's triangle boobs and locking the butler in the freezer without consequences (spoiler, he now dies).
Still, Crystal Dynamics tried to do the seemingly impossible and bring the first three Tomb Raider games screaming into 2024 with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Hoping to mix nostalgia with modernised versions of the titles released between 1996 and 1998 hasn't quite gone to plan, with some vowing to boycott the trilogy.
Crystal Dynamics called out for "offensive stereotype" warning
When you boot up Tomb Raider I-III, there's a pretty direct content warning that reads as follows: "The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices. These stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics."
There's no word on what scenes have the potential to cause offence, but it's thought that the South Pacific islanders in Tomb Raider 3 are the root cause. For those who've played the 1998 game, you'll remember the tribesmen are axe-wielding savages who are implied to be cannibals. Oh yeah, you also fight a statue of Kali.
It didn't take long for the warning to go viral online, with critics calling out a "woke" Crystal Dynamics. Although it likely could've been worded a little less harshly, many have praised the developer for its sensitive handling of the source material. Unfortunately for the ever-vocal minority, they're trying to boycott.
One critic said, "I was considering getting this but since Crystal Dynamics is openly admitting to caring more about politics... Stellar Blade upgrade it is!" Another added, "Yiiiiikes. Well, there's a company who's products to avoid forever," and a third said, "Is this in the game? Gonna have to refund if so and take to the high seas."
As well as accusations that CD 'hates' the Tomb Raider IP, the developers were accused of being 'cucks' and bending to 'lefties.' One particularly salty comment reads, "Couldn't just leave it could they had to throw their woke ideology on to these classic games that millions have enjoyed."
Stuck between a rock and a hard place
Click to enlargeIt's becoming increasingly commonplace that companies are having to censor content that hasn't exactly aged well - either that or not release it at all. Disney has vowed never to re-release the problematic Song of the South, while Gone with the Wind and Tom and Jerry are shown in their original form but with content warnings.
In terms of video games, censorship is nothing new. The likes of Wolfenstein and Call of Duty have long battled with Nazi imagery, while Korean website This Is Game has just confirmed that the PlayStation-exclusive Stellar Blade has been slapped with a hefty 18+ rating in South Korea.
Phobia warnings are more frequent in games that could be triggering, and in 2023's Dead Space remake, there are warnings for sections including self-inflicted death, medical malpractice, or graphic death by gunshot. We could sit here all day and point out why, but CD's concern about potentially offensive stereotypes has clearly got under some people's skin.
